Quote Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny
The one thing I'm wondering is feeding in the cage. I've heard this leads to the snake associating the opening of the lid and the appearance of a human hand as a sign for food if you feed in the enclosure. Will feeding outside the enclosure decrease the risk of getting bitten?
That's just a myth...not even sure how it got started because the logic behind it is so fuzzy. If you open the enclosure for other things like providing fresh water and cleaning and handling...then why would the snake believe "opening" equals "food?" And if it would make that sort of association...then why would it not also associate being picked up with being fed? See why it doesn't make any sense?

Go ahead and feed in the enclosure...it works fine.

To avoid bites associated with feeding...just use your head. Don't approach or handle the snake if your hands smell like rodents. Don't mess with the snake on feeding day except to just feed him. Don't hold food in your bare hand while offering it to the snake. Drop live rodents in quickly...or hold f/t rodents with tongs...depending on which feeding method works best for you.